Xi's Anti-Corruption Drive Leads to Healthier Civil Servants
• Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign has coincided with a notable decrease in BMI among Chinese government employees.
• The campaign has cracked down on the long-standing practice of banquets and gift-giving to curry favor and influence.
• Over 40% of civil servants were overweight or obese in 2009, with worse health outcomes seen among higher-ranking officials.
• By 2018, 11.6% fewer government employees were overweight, with greater BMI drops in more scrutinized provinces.
• The decreased BMI is attributed to less eating out and alcohol and more exercise time amid wariness of appearing corrupt.